


Maura’s Rizzoli Birthday

by cloudyunicorn698



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: A series of one and two shots, Actually apparently there's more to the story, Apparently there's an epilogue, Birthday Fluff, But I may have to start reusing some of my ideas, Even though I intended this to be fluff, F/F, Family, Friends are Family Too, Friends to Lovers, Happy Birthday!, I love coming up with meaningful gift ideas, Italian birthday celebration, Maybe I'm writing too many stories?!, Rizzles, Surprise Party, Teeny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:55:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29591049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudyunicorn698/pseuds/cloudyunicorn698
Summary: Maura has never liked her birthday. She would rather spend her birthday like she did any other day of the year: working. She loved her work, so she didn’t see anything sad or depressing about this. However, everything changed when she became friends with Jane. Last year, Jane had made sure her birthday was special. This year, Jane was going to make sure Maura had a Rizzoli Birthday, but not without a little teasing first. Family fluff. Rizzles.Well, you all have convinced me, so there will be more chapters.A series of one- and two-shots.
Relationships: Maura Isles & Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli
Comments: 44
Kudos: 74





	1. Birthday Plans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lil_leels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_leels/gifts).



> Chapters 1 and 2 are set a few months after the series premiere: Do One, See One, Teach One. Since the first season is supposed to take place over 1.5-2 years and aired in 2010, I’ve placed the first half of the season in 2009.
> 
> Chapter 3 is set in May 2017.

_Mid-July 2009_

“Hi, Ma,” Jane called out as she let herself into her childhood home.

“Hi, baby,” Angela called from the kitchen. “In the kitchen,” she added unnecessarily.

Jane chuckled as she made her way to the kitchen. She greeted her mother with a hug and a kiss on the cheek before sneaking a piece of garlic bread from the serving plate Angela was putting together.

“Hey,” Angela said as she slapped away Jane’s hand. “Those are for dinner.” Angela turned to assess her daughter, giving her a once over from head to toe. “You’re late,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Sorry, Ma,” Jane said. “I was at Maura’s helping her unpack.”

“You should have brought her!” Angela said quickly.

“She has a date tonight,” Jane replied, and Angela immediately noticed the sadness in Jane’s voice.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Angela said softly, causing Jane to look at her in surprise. Angela raised her eyebrow, challenging her daughter to argue with her.

Jane sighed, and they both knew that not arguing with her mother was as much of a confirmation of Angela’s unsaid supposition that Jane was going to give.

“Where are Pop and Frankie?” Jane asked by way of changing the subject.

“At the table,” Angela said. “You’re late, remember? Take this to the table, please,” she added, handing Jane the lasagna. Angela followed Jane to the table carrying the salad and garlic bread.

Once they were all served and eating, Frankie and Frank fell into a heated discussion about the latest NASCAR race, something neither Jane nor Angela cared about at all. Angela took the opportunity to return the conversation to Maura. “How is Maura’s new house?” she asked.

“Beautiful,” Jane said. “I’m sure she’ll want to have everyone over once it’s all in perfect order.”

“That would be lovely,” Angela said. “I would love to see her new house. You should bring her to dinner next week.”

“I’ll invite her,” Jane said.

“Her birthday is coming up, too, right?”

“Yeah, it’s August 7th, a little over three weeks away.”

“What are you guys going to do for her birthday?”

Jane fell silent. Her first instinct was to make a sarcastic remark about Maura probably wanting to spend her birthday with her new boyfriend, but memories of Maura’s birthday last year flooded her mind and stopped her comment.

_“Happy Birthday!” Jane greeted happily as she walked into the morgue._

_Maura looked up in surprise. “How did you know?” she asked._

_“I’ve seen your passport,” Jane said._

_“Oh, right,” Maura said, returning her attention to her work._

_Jane squinted at her friend in confusion. “What? You don’t like your birthday?” she asked._

_“Not particularly,” Maura said without looking up. “I don’t see the appeal in doing something extravagant just because it happens to be the anniversary of the day I was born.”_

_“You didn’t have birthday parties as a kid?” Jane asked. “Or hasn’t a boyfriend ever treated you to a special dinner for your birthday?”_

_“No,” Maura said simply. “My parents were rarely in town for my birthday, and I didn’t have friends to invite to a party. I don’t typically offer my birthday to people when I meet them, so no, I’ve never had a boyfriend do anything for my birthday.”_

_“Well, that’s just sad,” Jane said, frowning. “What are you doing today?”_

_“Working,” Maura said unemotionally._

_Jane rolled her eyes. “I meant after work, you goof.”_

_Maura shrugged, still stubbornly avoiding meeting Jane’s gaze. “The same thing I do every day: yoga, dinner, and whatever reading or paperwork I need to do for work.”_

_Jane frowned. “Let’s do something,” she said, causing Maura to look up in surprise, finally meeting her eye for the first time since Jane walked into the morgue._

_“I…um…” Maura stuttered. She knew she was blushing. She and Jane had only just started spending time together outside of work. Maura was torn because part of her wanted to refuse the offer; she didn’t want Jane’s pity. On the other hand, she loved spending time with Jane. She had never had a friend like Jane before. In fact, she had barely had any real friends before Jane. Sure, she had acquaintances, and there were plenty of people, particularly in certain social circles, who would claim to be her friend, but Jane actually seemed to enjoy her company, something Maura was wholly unaccustomed to._

_“Come on, Maur,” Jane pleaded. “It’ll be fun. We can do whatever you want. I just want to celebrate you.”_

_In the end, it was the use of her relatively new nickname that led Maura to agree to spending the evening with Jane._

_“Okay, be ready at 5pm,” Jane said with a smile, and finally, Maura returned her smile._

Jane dragged herself out of her memories, and instead of offering a sarcastic comment, she told her mother, “We should throw her a birthday party – a surprise birthday party.”

“Yes!” Angela said excitedly. “We should throw her a _Rizzoli_ birthday party!”

Jane rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the smile that took over her face.

“Who should we invite?” Angela said. “Where should we have it? Oh, do you think we can have the party on her actual birthday? It’s a Friday, right?”

Jane laughed. Her mother was shooting off questions without waiting for an answer. “Yeah, I think we should try to have it on her birthday. I’m not sure where, though. It would have to be somewhere I could get her to go without her becoming suspicious. Do you think it would be weird if we had it at her house?”

Angela shrugged. “How would we do that?”

“She gave me a key,” Jane said. “It’s supposed to be for emergencies. We wouldn’t have to worry about getting her there then.”

A slow smile grew on Jane’s face, raising Angela’s suspicion. “What?” she asked skeptically.

“I’m gonna mess with her first,” Jane said. “I’m not going to mention anything about her birthday – and neither are you,” Jane added, shooting her mother a look. “We’ll just pretend like it’s just another day. Then, she won’t suspect anything.”

Angela laughed. “Alright, but only because I want the party to be a surprise, too.”

They spent most of the rest of dinner planning Maura’s surprise birthday party. Eventually, Frankie and Frank joined the conversation as well, adding their two cents on the party ideas. By the time Jane left her parents’ house that evening, they had a plan in place. Luckily, her mother was taking care of most of the logistics. Jane just needed to invite people from work without Maura finding out.

Over the next week, Jane was able to invite Korsak, Frost, and Susie, as well as a few other people from the precinct. She had also made it clear that this party was to be a surprise, and that if anyone spilled the beans to Maura or acknowledged her birthday before the party, they would have to deal with Jane’s wrath. Susie had agreed to make sure that Maura left the office around 5pm on her birthday – no early or later. She also promised to make sure Maura planned to go straight home or to otherwise let Jane know if Maura was planning on going anywhere else. By the end of the week, Jane was sure that everything was in place, and she couldn’t wait for her best friend’s birthday.

* * *

_Wednesday, August 5, 2009_

“Hey, Maur,” Jane said as Maura joined her at one of the small tables in the Division One Café.

“Good morning, Jane,” Maura replied, taking a sip of her coffee.

They chatted for a few minutes about their current case. Before they went to their respective floors for the day’s work, Jane asked, “Can we do our movie night on Saturday instead of Friday?”

Maura tried to hide the smile that was threatening to grace her face. Her birthday was Friday, and although she would never admit it, she had been hoping Jane would offer to do something for her birthday like they did last year. She had actually started to worry that maybe Jane had forgotten her birthday, and she was too nervous to bring up the topic on her own. “Of course. What’s on Friday?” she asked, deciding to play along. Over the past few months, Maura and Jane had started spending their Friday nights together, usually with take-out and a movie at Maura’s house. Maura couldn’t believe how much she looked forward to their movie nights. In the past, she had never really looked forward to weekends, instead preferring to work.

“I have a date,” Jane said. As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She watched as Maura’s face fell, her disappointment obvious before she quickly replaced it with her polite mask. For a moment, she thought about giving up the ruse and telling Maura about the party. She hated seeing Maura upset, and she especially hated being the cause of Maura’s sadness. She held her tongue though. She was sure that the surprise would be worth it – or at least she hoped so. She really wanted to give Maura the experience of a surprise party. Maybe she should have come up with a different reason she was busy on Friday, but she and her mother had agreed on the story. This way, if Angela talked to Maura, she would know what the cover story was. It was the only thing they could think of that Maura wouldn’t automatically be invited to join Jane.

“Oh, okay,” Maura said quickly, hoping her disappointment wasn’t obvious. “Who’s your date with?”

Okay, Jane hadn’t been expecting that question, even though she probably should have. She decided on the truth, or at least a version of the truth, because that was the only way she would remember what she had said if the topic came up again. “Oh, um, her name is Mary,” Jane said. “She’s amazing. She’s beautiful, smart, and pretty much the nicest person you’ve ever met.” Jane was confused as she watched the emotions play out on Maura’s face. While she knew that Maura didn’t know that Jane was describing her, Jane hadn’t really expected her description to bother Maura. However, everything about Maura’s facial expressions telegraphed distress. Jane had known for a while now that she had feelings for Maura that went beyond friendship – and apparently her mother knew too – but Maura had never given any indication that she might feel the same. In fact, as far as Jane knew, Maura only dated men and was only attracted to men. However, Maura’s response to Jane’s words were causing Jane to reconsider this belief. Was it possible that Maura felt the same way?

“That’s wonderful,” Maura said. “I should get down to the morgue. I have an autopsy at 9am.” Jane continued to sit dumbfounded at Maura’s reaction and swift exit for a few minutes after Maura had left. Eventually, she decided she needed to put aside her thoughts and get to work, so she refilled her coffee before making her way to the elevator to the homicide bullpen.

Downstairs, Maura closed herself in her office. She sighed, burying her face in her hands with her elbows resting on her desk. The last fifteen minutes had been painful, more painful than they should have been. She knew this was partly her fault. All she had to do was tell Jane that it was her birthday and that she wanted to do something with her; Jane would immediately reschedule her plans and do everything in her power to make the day special for Maura. Instead, Maura had remained silent, just as she had as a child every time her parents told her they would be out of town on her birthday or every time a boyfriend had failed to find out and acknowledge her birthday.

Yet, for some reason, this hurt more. She tried to convince herself that it was because Jane had remembered last year, so she had set up a precedent that her parents and boyfriends never had. Maura knew this wasn’t the full truth, though. It had taken her longer than it should have to figure it out, but she had finally admitted to herself a few months ago that she was attracted to Jane. If she was honest with herself, her attraction to Jane had been immediate, but it wasn’t until Hoyt had escaped prison and Jane’s life was in danger that she became conscious of that attraction. Her feelings had only gotten stronger over the past few months as she realized that many of the unfamiliar emotions that she had attributed to the fact that Jane was her first best friend were actually so much more than that.

Maura hadn’t worked up the courage to talk to Jane about how she felt, though. She had always been bad at reading other people’s emotions and feelings. While she felt that she was getting better, the more time she spent with Jane, she still wasn’t sure how to interpret Jane’s actions towards her. She knew that Jane dated both men and women. She was also aware of the fact that Jane knew she had only dated men, so even if Jane had feelings for her, she probably wouldn’t say anything. Sometimes, Maura noticed the way Jane looked at her or the way she took care of her or the way she treated her was slightly more caring than she treated others, but other times, Maura thought that that was just how Jane was with people she cared about.

Maura wasn’t sure whether the fact that Jane had forgotten her birthday or how she described her date was making her more upset. She took deep, calming breaths as she tried to collect herself. Maura pulled herself together enough to get back to work. She was a professional after all; there was no way she was going to let her personal life interfere with her work. Instead, she shoved her disappointments and thoughts about Jane into a box in the back of her mind and got back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it’s a little weird that they’re letting themselves into Maura’s house when Maura and Jane aren’t that close yet, but we’re just going to pretend it’s not.


	2. Birthday Party Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday, @Lil_leels! I know its not technically your birthday where you are, but it is where I am, so you get this a bit early!

_Friday, August 7, 2009_

Maura smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She had chosen her favorite new dress, paired it with her off-white leather jacket, and selected the necklace Jane had given her for Christmas. She found her off-white patent heels that added a good four inches to her height. She had pulled her hair into an elegant French knot to keep herself cool in the humid Boston summer heat. She was determined to have a good day today, even if no one knew it was her birthday.

An hour later, Maura was sitting in her office on her laptop. The morgue was surprisingly quiet for a summer Friday, but she didn’t mind. She _may_ have been using the extra time to do a bit of birthday shoe shopping online.

“You must be working on something very important,” Jane teased from the door. Maura jumped slightly, but she couldn’t stop the smile that took over her face at the sound of her best friend’s voice.

“Very important,” Maura quipped as she closed her laptop and stood up to walk around her desk towards Jane.

Jane’s breath caught in her throat when she saw Maura. She was wearing a bright green dress that hugged her curves, the color making the green speckles in her hazel eyes pop. Her smile glowed, even in the harsh light of the morgue. It took everything Jane had to pull her eyes away from Maura.

“I brought you coffee,” she said lamely, holding out one of the cups of coffee in her hand.

“Thank you,” Maura replied, her smile growing even bigger, causing Jane’s stomach to flip in response. “Are you ready for your date tonight?”

It took Jane a few seconds to realize what Maura was talking about. All her thoughts had been on Maura’s birthday that she had forgotten the cover story. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Please tell me you have something to change into?” Maura said, taking the opportunity to look Jane up and down.

“I’m going home to change first,” Jane said, which was technically true. She had planned to stop at her place to change, pick up Maura’s gift, and grab anything else they may need for the party. She had already given her spare key to her mom, who was planning to head to Maura’s to set up this afternoon.

“Where are you taking her?” Maura asked as they both sat down on the couch.

Jane was regretting the cover story even more than she had the other day. She didn’t want to continue lying to Maura, but she still didn’t want to ruin the surprise – they were so close! “Oh, um, an Italian place,” Jane said vaguely – her mother was planning to cook Italian food for tonight, after all.

Maura frowned. Jane seemed to be acting weird, and she wasn’t sure why. It’s not like they hadn’t talked about their dates in the past, but she didn’t want to push the issue.

They spent a few more minutes chatting lightly before Jane excused herself to go back to work. If she was being honest with herself, she couldn’t stay with Maura any longer without spilling her secret. It was very difficult not to acknowledge Maura’s birthday or the sadness that was peeking through her professional mask. It was also hard for Jane to turn down Maura’s request to have lunch together. Luckily, she was telling the truth when she said she had to work through lunch, even if she didn’t tell Maura that the reason she had to work through lunch was to make sure she could leave early to set up for Maura’s birthday party.

Maura was disappointed when Jane turned down her lunch invitation, but she understood. It wasn’t uncommon for one or both of them to have to work through lunch. However, she was hurt when she realized that Jane had left work early without saying goodbye to her. Maura had gone upstairs just after 4pm to see Jane and wish her luck on her date, but Korsak informed her that Jane had already left for the day.

Across town, Jane, Angela, Frank, Frankie, and Frost were quickly setting up for Maura’s party. Angela and Frank had arrived first, making sure the food was set up and cooking so that it would be ready shortly after Maura arrived home. Frankie and Frost were competing to see who could blow up the most balloons, and Maura’s downstairs and outside courtyard were quickly filled with more balloons that Jane thought possible. Jane and her pop decorated with signs and streamers while Angela attended to the food. Everything was ready just before guests started arriving. Everyone had been instructed to arrive by 5pm if they were going to arrive before Maura. Otherwise, they had to wait until after Maura was home to come so that they didn’t accidentally ruin the surprise. Susie sent Jane a text to let Jane know that Maura had left the office at five after five and was planning to head straight home.

Maura walked to her car alone. It hurt more than she wanted to admit that no one had remembered her birthday. Now, she was planning to go home, order take-out, take a bubble bath, and crawl into bed early. She just wanted this day to be over; she wanted to forget about everything; and she wanted to forget about Jane. Tomorrow, everything would go back to normal. They would have their movie night, it wouldn’t be anyone’s birthday, and Jane would never find out how Maura felt about her.

She tried to push her thoughts aside as she drove home. She could let the tears fall once she was home alone, not a minute sooner. After parking her car, Maura let herself in her front door, her body already starting to release the day’s tension. She shut and locked the door behind her before walking towards the kitchen.

“SURPRISE!!!” voices exploded from around the room. The lights turned on and people jumped out from behind every piece of furniture in her kitchen and living room. Maura dropped her bags in surprise, her hands flying to her mouth in surprise. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked around at all the people in the room. Her gaze instantly found and locked on Jane, who was coming towards her.

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura. “Happy Birthday,” she said into Maura’s hair as she pulled her close. When she leaned back, her smile faltered at the distraught look on Maura’s face and the tears pouring down her cheeks.

Jane turned towards her mother, who was walking towards them with the intention of telling Maura, “Happy Birthday,” as well, but Jane shook her head. “We’ll be right back,” she said quickly to her mother, who seemed to understand instantly and turned around to distract the rest of the guests so that they wouldn’t notice Maura’s reaction.

Jane quickly picked up Maura’s bags, and with her arm still holding Maura close, she guided the other woman out of the room and up the stairs to Maura’s bedroom. Jane closed the door behind them and set the bags down lightly before turning to face Maura.

“I-I-I th-thought…I thought…I thought you forgot about my birthday,” Maura stuttered, finally making eye contact with Jane.

“I’m sorry, Maura,” Jane said softly, her own shoulders slumping in guilt. “I wanted to surprise you. I-I-I didn’t mean to upset you.” Tears stung the corners of Jane’s eyes, threatening to fall at any moment.

“But you had a date?” Maura stated, but it sounded more like a question. Her tears had stopped as her brain had started to catch up to her reality, but her face was still scrunched up in confusion.

Jane let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah, with you,” she said, a tentative smile tugging at her lips. “I could never forget your birthday. I’m so sorry that I upset you and that I hurt you. I just wanted to make your birthday special, and I figured you’d never had a surprise birthday party. Even though I understand that the concept of a surprise party entails some lying, I didn’t realize how hard it would be to lie to you, so I tried to just stretch the truth a little bit.”

“There’s no Mary?” Maura asked.

“Well, Maura is a variation of Mary, right?” Jane said weakly.

Maura laughed, really truly laughed. “You were talking about me?” she said, her face breaking out into a smile. “Those things you said about her…were about me?”

Jane cautiously returned her smile. “Yeah,” she said quietly, hoping that maybe Maura wasn’t actually as mad or upset as she had initially seemed. Still, she hadn’t expected Maura’s next move at all.

Maura quickly reached up and cupped Jane’s face in her hands. Before Jane could react, Maura leaning up and pulled Jane’s face towards her, their lips meeting in a soft, hesitant kiss. Jane’s hands flew to Maura’s hips as she returned the kiss. Too soon for Jane’s liking, Maura pulled back. They both smiled shyly at each other for a few seconds, but Jane already missed the feeling of Maura’s lips on her own, so she pulled Maura back towards her. Their lips met again – this time in a deeper, more passionate kiss – and Jane held Maura’s body flush against her own. Just as Jane swiped her tongue along Maura’s bottom lip, asking for entrance, there was a knock on the door.

“Are you girls okay?” Angela’s voice called through the door.

They jumped apart, but their hands remained in place. Jane met Maura’s eyes for a moment before Maura answered, “Yes, sorry, Angela, we’ll be down in a couple of minutes.”

“We should go downstairs,” Maura said quietly once they had heard Angela walk back downstairs.

“If you don’t want them here, I can ask everyone to leave,” Jane said, still afraid that Maura was upset about the party.

Maura shook her head. “No,” she said with a smile. “I was a bit overwhelmed when I first walked in, but I…well, I’m, um…I’ve never had a birthday party. I’m really excited, and even though it may not have seemed like it initially, I’m so touched that you did this for me.” And finally, Jane could see the true joy on Maura’s face. Despite the rush of feelings of the last few minutes, Jane was starting to feel like she may have made the right choice after all.

Maura stepped out of Jane’s embrace, intending to freshen up in the bathroom, but before she got very far, she turned back to Jane. “Stay tonight?” she asked. “We should probably talk about…” she trailed off.

“About us,” Jane said with a smirk, waving her hand back and forth between the two of them.

“Is there an us?” Maura asked, vulnerability lacing her voice.

Jane stepped back into Maura’s space. “I’d like there to be an us,” she whispered before placing a soft kiss on Maura’s lips.

“Me too,” Maura whispered against Jane’s lips. Pulling back again, she added, “I’m going to freshen up and maybe change.”

“Don’t change,” Jane said quickly. “You look beautiful.”

Maura smiled at Jane. Instead of responding, she gave Jane a quick peck on the lips before sauntering off to her bathroom.

Five minutes later, they were both downstairs again. Jane’s eyes followed Maura as she talked with the rest of the guests, happily receiving their birthday greetings and well wishes.

Jane jumped when her mother’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Is she upset about everyone being here?” Angela asked.

Jane turned to look at her mother. With a sigh, she said, “No, she was a bit overwhelmed, but she was upset because she had thought I forgot her birthday.”

“Aww, baby, I’m sorry,” Angela sighed sympathetically. “Are you guys okay though?”

Jane’s face split into a gigantic smile. “Yes, we’re more than okay,” she said. “I mean, I still feel bad that I hurt her, even if only for a short time, but I think she’s happy about the party now.”

Angela’s eyes widened at Jane’s expression. Jane may have a good poker face when it came to a lot of things, but when it came to her feelings about Maura, Jane couldn’t control her facial expressions; she was an open book. “Is there something you’d like to share?” Angela prodded.

Jane’s face quickly shifted to fear as she realized that not only had she and Maura not yet defined what they were, they also hadn’t talked about whether they wanted other people to know. Luckily, Jane was saved from having to respond by the appearance of the birthday girl. Maura walked up behind Jane and wrapped her arms around Jane’s waist from the back. Jane’s hands automatically came to rest on top of Maura’s.

“Angela, thank you so much for this party,” Maura said to the older woman before resting her chin on Jane’s shoulders.

Angela said nothing as she pointedly looked up and down between Maura’s arms around Jane’s waist and their faces. Realizing what she had done, Maura tried to release her grip on Jane and step back, but Jane stopped her, holding her arms in place.

Jane gave Maura’s hands a gentle reassuring squeeze before addressing her mother. It was clear that neither of them was going to make it through the evening without touching each other, so Jane decided to tell her mother the truth. “Ma, Maura and I are…” she started.

“Are you together?” Angela squealed loudly, causing the people standing around them to turn in their direction. “Sorry,” she added more quietly.

Jane laughed. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about anything yet or to define anything, but I think we both…”

It was Maura’s turn to interrupt Jane, “…but I think we both feel the same way.” Maura shifted so that she was standing next to Jane but still had her arm around Jane’s back. They shared a soft smile before returning their attention to Angela.

Angela excitedly opened her arms and pulled both of them into a hug. “I’m so happy for both of you,” she said. She gave each of them a kiss on the cheek before releasing Jane and focusing on Maura. She gave Maura a hug, offering her a quiet, “Tanti auguri.”

“Thank you, Angela,” Maura said as she returned the hug.

Angela stepped back from Maura. With a smile, she announced, “Let’s eat!” To Maura, she added, “Birthday girl goes first!”

Maura led the line through the buffet, followed by Jane with Frankie and Frost jostling for third. “Wow, this is a large spread,” Maura commented. “I can’t believe your mom cooked all this.”

“I know,” Jane said. “We’ll be eating Italian food for weeks, but we wanted to give you a Rizzoli Birthday.”

Maura looked up at Jane. “What’s a Rizzoli Birthday?” she asked, confused.

Jane laughed and gave a shrug. “Rizzolis go all out for birthdays. There’s always too much food, too many presents, too many people, and it’s too loud.”

“Presents?” Maura asked.

“Yeah, you do know people usually give the birthday girl or boy presents at a birthday party, right?” Jane asked teasingly.

“Well…” Maura stalled.

“Jane, hurry up!” Frankie goaded Jane from behind. “The rest of us want to eat, too!”

Jane turned her attention to her little brother. “Maura’s the birthday girl; she can take as long as she wants in line,” Jane snapped, giving Frankie a light smack on the back of the head.

“Yeah, but she’s done,” Frankie pointed out. “You’re the one holding up the line.”

Jane huffed as she realized he was right. Part of her wanted to stall even more to annoy her brother, but she wanted to continue her conversation with Maura more. She quickly finished filling her plate and followed Maura to the dining table. Maura sat in what could only be described as the birthday throne. Frankie and Frost had taken it upon themselves to decorate the chair at the head of the table with streamers and balloons.

Before other people joined their table, Jane turned to Maura. “Anyway, yes, you are getting birthday presents,” Jane said. “Although, I can’t promise they will all be things you want or like.”

“It’s too much, Jane,” Maura said softly. “This party should have been my gift. Everyone taking time out of their Friday evening to be here…that’s more than enough.”

Jane laughed. “Well, you can have that argument with my mom next year,” she said. “And I guarantee you’ll lose.”

Maura smiled. The only part of what Jane said that Maura heard was “next year.” It was just a given to Jane that they would be celebrating Maura’s birthday together again _next year_. Maura tried to remember if she had ever spent three birthdays in a row with the same people. She didn’t think so, at least not with them knowing it was her birthday. She had spent three years in a row working at the same place on her birthday, but she didn’t really think that counted. As a child, her parents were around for some of her birthdays. Before Jane, those were some of her favorite birthdays, but she was pretty sure that neither of her parents were in town for more than two birthdays in a row. Her mother did always make sure to call her on her birthday, though, which she appreciated.

“Earth to Maura,” Jane said, waving her hand in front of Maura’s face. Maura had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t realized Jane was still talking to her. “Did you hear me?” Jane asked.

“Oh, sorry, no,” Maura said sheepishly.

Jane laughed. “What were you thinking about?” she asked.

“My past birthdays,” Maura said honestly, but she didn’t offer any more detail. “The gift you gave me last year was the first birthday gift I received since my 18th birthday and the first birthday gift not from family.”

Jane’s heart broke for her friend. All she wanted to do was wrap Maura in a hug and tell her how sorry she was that no one had realized how special she was or how much she deserved. She refrained only because she knew Maura wouldn’t want attention drawn to their conversation. She also knew that Maura wasn’t telling her to earn her pity or sympathy. Still, she hated that she couldn’t take away Maura’s pain.

“Well, you should have at least known that I would get you something – at least until you thought I forgot your birthday,” Jane added sadly.

Maura smiled. “I did,” she said. “I just didn’t expect gifts from everyone else.”

Jane returned Maura’s smile. “Well, I promise you’ll never have to worry about that again,” Jane said.

“Thank you, Jane,” Maura said, reaching out to place her hand on Jane’s wrist.

Their conversation ended as more people joined them at the table. They got lost in conversations full of love and laughter for the rest of dinner. The house was bursting with people and noise. Even with the rowdiest of the bunch, including Frankie and Frost, sitting at the tables set up outside in the courtyard, Maura was sure that her house had never been this loud, and she loved it.

After dinner, Angela gathered everyone in the family room to watch Maura open gifts. Maura was uncomfortable being the center of attention at first, but after the first couple of gifts, she began to feel more comfortable. It felt so different than times she had been the center of attention in social situations in the past. It also helped that Jane was sharing the armchair with her since every other seat was taken. Even if everyone was watching her open gifts, it felt more like a group activity. Jane, Frankie, and Frost, in particular, reacted to every gift, making it easier for her to join in the excitement. Maura wondered if they had planned this ahead of time in an effort to make sure she was comfortable or if this was just how they were naturally. Either way, she appreciated it.

Most of the gifts were generic, but she appreciated them all the same. Some people who knew her well gave her more personal gifts: Susie had given her a book they had been talking about recently and Frost gave her a gift card to the restaurant that served Belon oysters – a delicacy they had discovered they both liked during a recent case. However, she had saved Angela and Frank’s and Jane’s presents for last.

Tears stung Maura’s eyes the instant she opened Angela and Frank’s gift. Inside the large box was a beautiful cream handmade crocheted blanket. Maura ran her hand over the blanket feeling the softness of the yarn under her fingers. Even though she knew it wasn’t possible, she could have sworn she could feel the love woven into the stitches.

“I wasn’t sure what color scheme you would choose for your new house,” Angela said quietly, “but I figured cream complements most colors, making it a safe option. I made one for each of my children when they moved into their first homes. I know this isn’t your first house, but…”

“It’s beautiful,” Maura said thickly, no longer able to stop the tears from flowing. She stood up, allowed Jane to hold the gift for her, and gave Angela a hug. “Thank you,” she said quietly into Angela’s embrace.

“Happy birthday, sweetie,” Angela said as she returned the hug. “We all love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Maura returned.

“Okay, my turn,” Jane said excitedly, tugging Maura back to sit in her spot next to Jane.

Maura wiped the remaining tears as she sat back down and smiled at Jane’s enthusiasm.

“Happy birthday, Maura,” Jane said as she handed Maura a wrapped box.

Maura’s tears returned when she opened Jane’s gift. Inside were a set of seven Christmas ornaments. Six purchased ornaments circled one custom ornament in the center. The six purchased ornaments were from different things Maura and Jane had done together over the past six to eight months. There was a Red Sox ornament to commemorate the first game they had gone to together, an ornament from Cape Cod where they had spent Memorial Day weekend, and ornaments representing other similar events.

The center ornament was 3D cube with a photo on each of the four sides; the top and bottom covered in a red Christmas plaid. There was a photo of Jane and Maura, rosy cheeked with huge smiles and twinkling eyes surrounded by falling snow; there was a photo of Jane, Maura, Frankie, Angela, and Frank from this past Christmas; there was a photo of Jane, Maura, Frankie, and Frost from the Red Sox game they had gone to together; and the final picture was Maura’s favorite. It was a candid photo of her and Jane from earlier this summer. They were both laughing at something happening outside the frame of the photo, but they had caught each other’s gaze. They were lost in each other’s eyes, joy and love written all over their faces.

“I know Christmas ornaments in August are a little weird,” Jane said nervously, “but I wanted you to have them before the holiday season.”

Maura finally looked up to meet Jane’s eye. “I love them,” she said through her tears. She gently placed the box on the floor and wrapped her arms around Jane, burying her face in Jane’s hair. Jane returned the hug, holding Maura close for as long as she wanted while the rest of the guests dispersed, breaking off into smaller groups and conversations.

“Thank you, Jane,” Maura said when she finally released Jane.

“Happy birthday, love,” Jane said before leaning in to give Maura a gentle, chaste kiss, mindful of the people still surrounding them.

“Hey, when did that happen?” Frankie yelled across the room, breaking their bubble.

Jane turned to snap at her brother, but her mother beat her to it. Angela gave Frankie a loving smack on the back of his head. “Leave your sisters alone,” she chided.

Jane laughed at her brother’s shocked face, sticking out her tongue at him when Angela wasn’t looking. Maura leaned against Jane, slightly embarrassed at being called out in front of everyone, but more so happy to be part of this big crazy family.

Angela interrupted the brewing argument between siblings by calling everyone to the dining area for the presentation of the cake. She told Maura to sit in her decorated chair – “birthday throne” as Jane corrected her. Jane sat on one side of her and Frankie on the other with the rest of the guests filling in the remaining seats or standing around the table.

Angela lit the candles in the kitchen and carried the cake to the table. When she placed the cake in front of Maura, she gestured for everyone to start singing.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Maura, happy birthday to you,” everyone sang together.

Maura started to blow out the candles, but Jane placed her hand on Maura’s knee to stop her. In Rizzoli family tradition, they moved directly into the Italian version of the song.

“Tanti auguri a te, tanti auguri a te, tanti auguri a Maura, tanti auguri a te!”

Maura looked to Jane for confirmation that she could now blow out her candles. Jane gave her a smile and a small nod. Maura closed her eyes, making a wish – because it was tradition, not because she believed wishes actually came true – and blew out the candles in one big blow.

Everyone clapped, and there were shouts of “Happy Birthday!” “Buon Compleanno!” and “Tanti Auguri!” from around the room.

Maura knew her smile was almost embarrassingly large as she looked around the room at all of her friends – no, all of her _family_.

Angela found her way to the table, gesturing for Jane and Maura to lean together behind the cake for a picture. After she snapped a few of them, she instructed Frankie to join them; then she took one of just Frankie and Maura. When Angela instructed Frost to stand next to Maura for a picture, Jane rolled her eyes.

“Ma,” she whined. “Don’t make Maura take a picture with every single person.”

“It’s tradition,” Angela answered as though this ended the conversation.

“It’s a weird Rizzoli tradition,” Jane said. “No one wants all these cake pictures.” Jane used her fingers to make air quotes when she said, “cake pictures.”

“Actually, it’s an Italian tradition,” Maura stated, catching Jane by surprise. “Traditionally, birthday parties are large celebrations in Italian culture. It is expected that each individual in attendance at the party take a picture with the cake and the person whose birthday they are celebrating.”

Jane huffed in mock annoyance, but how could she complain now; she couldn’t deny Maura the tradition, no matter how useless Jane thought it was. It didn’t take long for Jane to get shunted from her seat, anyway, as more people joined in the picture taking.

Frost was hooking up his laptop to Maura’s big screen TV under the cover of the commotion of the picture taking. Jane joined him in the living room to see if he needed any help.

“Nope, all good,” Frost said. Just as he finished saying that, the TV lit up with the opening screen of the video, which read, “Happy Birthday, Maura,” in the middle surrounded by smaller phrases of happy birthday in different languages.

About 15 minutes later, Maura found Jane sitting on the couch. She handed Jane a piece of cake and sat down next to her. “What’s this?” she asked, gesturing to the screen.

“You’ll see,” Jane said with a smirk as she took a bite of cake. Once everyone had their cake, Angela instructed them to make their way to the living room, and Frost started the video.

The opening screen disappeared and was replaced by Jane, Frankie, Frost, and Susie laughing and saying, “Happy Birthday, Maura!” Then, the music started along with a photo montage. There were even photos from throughout Maura’s childhood. Tears streamed down Maura’s face as she watched. Every few minutes, the photo montage was interspersed with video clips. Most were of Maura and Jane, but there were some with Jane’s family, others with Frankie and Frost, and even a few from the lab with Susie and some of the techs. After the photo montage and video clips, the video changed to staged clips of their friends and family wishing Maura a “happy birthday” or sharing their favorite memories. The last clip was of Jane.

“Happy Birthday, Maura,” Jane said in the video clip. “I hope this year is your best birthday yet. You deserve it! Thanks for putting up with me. You’re my best friend, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you. Happy Birthday, Maur.”

When the screen faded to black, most people went back to whatever they had been doing before, and a few went for a second piece of cake.

Maura turned to Jane, who was still sitting next to her. “You made that for me?” she asked through her tears. Maura wasn’t sure if she had ever cried this much in one day; she definitely hadn’t cried this many happy tears in a single day before.

“Frost, Frankie, and Susie helped,” Jane deflected. “Frost did all the hard work.”

Frost, who was listening to the conversation rolled his eyes. Shaking his head, he told Maura, “I did the tech stuff, but Jane did the real work. Frankie and Susie helped get some of the clips, but really Jane did most of it.”

Maura wiped the tears from her face. “Thank you, Barry,” she said.

He nodded and stood up to give Maura and Jane some privacy.

“Thank you, Jane,” Maura said quietly.

Jane looked up, finally making eye contact with Maura. “I meant it, Maura, you deserve it.” She pulled Maura into a hug. “Happy birthday,” she said into Maura’s shoulder. “I love you, Maur.”

Maura pulled away quickly, surprised at Jane’s words. She searched Jane’s face to see if Jane realized what she had just said or if she had only said it as a reflex.

Jane knew what Maura was looking for, though, so she repeated, “I love you, Maura,” as she held Maura’s gaze.

“I love you, too,” Maura said, and she leaned forward to capture Jane’s lips in a loving kiss. Jane’s hands instantly wrapped around her waist, and Maura brought her arms up around Jane’s shoulders, with one hand resting on the back of Jane’s neck and the other gently placed on her back.

Jane was the first to pull out of the kiss, albeit reluctantly. She knew they needed to get back to the rest of the guests. Jane would have Maura to herself all night, all weekend, and if Jane had it her way, for the rest of their lives.

The rest of the evening passed enjoyably. Eventually, only Maura, Jane, Angela, and Frankie were left. Frank had left earlier, citing an early morning job, so Frankie had agreed to drive Angela home after they cleaned up. Jane was growing impatient for her mother and brother to leave, but she knew that Maura would want everything clean before they did everything else, and it definitely went faster with four people cleaning. It helped that the four of them worked well together. In fact, Jane was surprised at how fast the chaos was cleaned up and Maura’s house was returned to its prior perfect condition.

Maura and Jane both said goodbye to Angela and Frankie. Maura thanked both profusely for the party and all of their help. Angela made sure that Maura and Jane were both planning to come to Sunday Dinner before Frankie finally pulled her out the door.

After locking the door behind Angela and Frankie, Maura turned to Jane. Letting herself step into Jane’s open arms, Maura rested her head on Jane’s shoulder, and whispered, “Thank you for everything, Jane. This was wonderful.” Maura lifted her head to make eye contact with Jane.

“You’re welcome,” Jane said gently. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, but I hated that I hurt you in my attempt to surprise you.”

Maura smiled softly. “It was worth it,” she said, “but next year, please don’t pretend to forget again.”

Jane laughed. “Yeah, yeah,” she said with a smile. “I promise. I don’t think I could get away with it again, anyway. From here on out, your birthdays will be fully acknowledged, and you can be part of the party planning process.”

Maura smiled and gave Jane a soft kiss. Before Maura could pull back, Jane deepened the kiss. Maura moaned in response to Jane’s tongue slipping into her mouth. They got lost in each other for a few minutes. Finally, Jane pulled back, panting slightly. “We should probably talk,” she said quietly.

“Yes, why don’t we change into our pajamas?” Maura offered. “We can talk in my room.”

“Sounds good,” Jane replied, leaving a soft peck on Maura’s lips before stepping out of her embrace.

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in Maura’s bed, comfortable in their pajamas, their faces washed, and their teeth brushed. An awkwardness they hadn’t experienced yet settled between them as they exchanged shy glances. Jane was the one who finally broke the silence.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” she said quietly.

“I know, Jane, it’s okay,” Maura replied. “You don’t have to keep apologizing.”

“I wish I’d come up with a different story, though,” Jane continued. “I knew you’d probably be upset that I seemingly forgot your birthday, but I didn’t expect you to be bothered by the fact that I said I was going on a date.”

Maura nodded, mostly to herself. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she carefully chose her words. “I know that wasn’t fair of me,” she finally admitted. “I just…I guess…I couldn’t help it.” Maura sighed loudly when she said the last part.

Jane laughed at Maura’s exasperation. “I get that,” she said. Silence settled between them again.

“I’ve never dated a woman before,” Maura said, “but I’ve always known I was attracted to both men and women. I’ve been trying to work up the courage for a few months to tell you how I felt about you, but I was scared.”

“Of what?” Jane asked.

“Of losing you,” Maura admitted. “Sometimes, I thought it was possible that you had feelings for me, but other times, I was sure that was just how you treated people you cared about.”

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to feel that way about me, so I tried to hide it. The last thing I wanted to do was make you uncomfortable.”

“I know, Jane. You didn’t do anything wrong. I think…well, I’d like to believe that I would have said something eventually.”

Jane nodded; then, she smiled. “Well, now we know,” she said. “Maura Isles, would you like to go on a date with me?”

Maura smiled so big that her face hurt. “Yes, Jane Rizzoli, I would love to go on a date with you.”

“Good,” Jane said with a smile. She gave Maura a soft peck on the lips before sliding down in the bed so that she was lying down, facing Maura. Maura did the same and they laid face-to-face, their hands intertwined between them. They talked for a few more minutes before their exhaustion started to seep through. Finally, Maura turned off the lights, returning to her spot next to Jane, but this time facing away from her. Jane instantly curled around her so that she was spooning Maura from behind. Maura brought Jane’s hand up to her lips, giving her knuckles a soft kiss before holding it to her chest.

“Happy birthday, Maur,” Jane whispered as sleep took over.

“Thank you for giving me my best birthday ever,” Maura said just as quietly.

“I love you,” Jane mumbled into Maura’s hair.

“I love you, too, Jane,” Maura replied, but Jane had already fallen asleep.

Maura smiled to herself. Yes, this was definitely her best birthday ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t speak Italian, but from my research, I found that “Buon Cumpleanno” is the direct translation of “Happy Birthday,” and it is used. However, most people say “tanti auguri” as the most common birthday greeting, although it can be used during other happy occasions since it translates to best wishes or congratulations. I snuck it in there with its double meaning when Angela first finds out about Jane and Maura. 😊
> 
> P.S. I haven’t forgotten about my other stories. I had a bad week at work this past week, which made writing in my limited free-time more difficult. I’m hoping this week is better and I can get the next chapters of a few of my stories out soon.


	3. Emily's Rizzoli Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, first this one-shot turned into a two-shot, but apparently, I can’t let this story go, so here is an epilogue.
> 
> Timeline note: The first two chapters/the main story took place in summer 2009; Maura and Jane got engaged in summer 2010 and married in spring 2011. Emily was born May 2012 and James was born October 2014.

_Friday, May 19, 2017_

Maura was so excited that she was literally bouncing in her desk chair. She was also pretty sure she had never looked at the clock so many times in such a short period. She was only working until noon, but it felt like an eternity. Jane had taken the day off, and Maura had intended to do the same, but of course, a last-minute case had forced her out of bed before dawn when no other MEs were available. Such is the duty of being in charge. However, she had made it clear to everyone on her staff that she would not be staying a minute past noon. And no one was going to stop her because today was her daughter’s fifth birthday.

Emily Angela Rizzoli-Isles was a carbon copy of her mama with dark brown curls flying in every direction refusing Maura’s every attempt to tame them and her dark chocolate eyes full of love and laughter. Maura had been disappointed that she couldn’t wake the little girl up on her birthday, but she had made sure to kiss her goodbye before leaving – although, she always kissed all her family goodbye before leaving anyway, even when it wasn’t their birthday. Maura knew that Jane would spoil the little girl, though, so she wasn’t worried that Emily wouldn’t have a wonderful morning.

Maura had known from the first kick she felt inside of her that their daughter would have every bit of Jane’s energy. Jane had argued that maybe Maura’s calmness would rub off on the baby during the nine months Maura carried their daughter, but Maura had to laugh at how wrong Jane had been.

On the other hand, their son seemed to channel more of Maura’s calm personality, which still shocked Jane two-and-a-half years later since Jane had been the one to carry him. Maura’s heart warmed as she thought back to each of her children’s conceptions and births. They had easily agreed to have Maura carry the first one using Jane’s egg, but they had argued for months before conceiving James. The arguing had been stressful at the time, but now, Maura thought of it as a positive memory because, in the end, it showed how much Maura and Jane loved the other. Both of them had been insistent that the other have every experience they wanted when it came to having children. Maura had known for a long time at that point that Jane wanted the chance to experience pregnancy, even if she would never admit it to anyone else. Jane argued that if she was going to carry the child, they should use Maura’s egg, but Maura wanted their children to be full biological siblings. Jane’s response was to try to convince Maura to carry their second child. Maura would have happily done so if she knew Jane truly didn’t want to do it, but even when Jane tried to convince her otherwise, Maura knew that Jane wanted the experience. Maura had finally been able to convince Jane that her children being full biological siblings was more important to her than either of them being biologically related to her, which was true.

Maura had been worried that she wouldn’t have the same connection to James as she had to Emily, something she only admitted to Jane in the middle of the night through panicked tears halfway through Jane’s pregnancy. However, Maura could not have been more wrong. The second the doctor placed their son in her arms, Maura fell every bit in love with him as she had their daughter two-and-a-half years earlier. In actuality, she had fallen in love with him much earlier than that, but it wasn’t until that moment that her worries disappeared. Maura loved both of her children equally, and she knew Jane did as well. However, as they grew older, Maura had noticed that Emily gravitated more towards Jane and took after Jane more so than Maura while James tended to gravitate to Maura and was definitely picking up more of her personality traits than his sister.

Maura glanced at the clock again. 11:55am. She decided that was close enough, closed her last report, and shut down her computer. Maura waved goodbye to her staff as she hurried to her car in the parking garage.

“Tell Emily happy birthday from Aunt Susie,” Susie called after Maura as she dashed out the door.

“I will, thank you,” Maura called back offering Susie a smile over her shoulder but not slowing her pace.

Maura knew she was grinning foolishly as she literally threw her bags into her car, but she didn’t care. Maura made a quick stop at the Dirty Robber to pick up lunch. She beelined to where she saw Korsak behind the cash register at the bar.

“Hey, Doc,” he greeted. He reached behind him to grab a bag of food before adding, “I added something extra special for the birthday girl.”

Maura smiled. “Thank you, Vince. I’m sure she will love whatever it is. How much do I owe you?” she asked.

Korsak waved her off. “It’s on the house,” he said quickly. “My granddaughter will never pay for her birthday lunch.”

Maura opened her mouth to argue that Emily wasn’t the one paying, _she was_ , but Korsak spoke again before she could. “You know what I mean, doc,” he said with a laugh.

“Thank you,” Maura said. “You’ll be there tonight, right?”

“Of course!” Korsak said, and he sounded slightly offended that she had to ask. “I could never miss Princess Emily’s fifth birthday celebration. Kiki and I will be there at 5:30 like the invitation said.” He held up the invitation to the girl’s birthday party that he had clearly kept close. Then, he waved her off. “Go give my baby her birthday cheeseburger before it gets cold.”

Maura smile only grew at that. “Okay, thank you again,” she said as she turned and headed out the door.

As she drove home to her family, Maura thought back to all the birthday celebrations she had been a part of over the past eight or so years. The Rizzolis really knew how to throw a party, and she couldn’t be happier that her children would have that experience from a young age.

The moment she let herself in the front door of their house, her senses were bombarded with what she could only describe as love and home. The house was loud, filled with laughter, boisterous conversations, and maybe a little screaming – happy screams, of course. She could smell the tell-tale garlic and oregano that she associated with Angela’s homecooked Italian food, and she knew that tonight’s feast was well on its way to being ready for Emily’s party. She felt the warmth of home carried to her by the spring breeze flowing through the open windows. But the part she loved the most was the sight that greeted her when she rounded the corner to the kitchen: her family. Emily and Jane were chasing each other around the kitchen, dining room, and living room, Emily’s giggles and shrieks of happiness echoing off the walls. James was sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchen island completely entranced with watching and listening to his nonna cook.

None of them had yet noticed Maura’s arrival (most likely since Jane and Emily were making too much noise to hear anything else), so Maura took the opportunity to observe her family. It was Jane that noticed her first – of course, it was, Jane always noticed her first. When she spotted Maura, she stood up straight, shooting Maura one of those smiles she only reserved for her wife. Within seconds, though, Emily collided with Jane, taking advantage of her mama’s distraction to win whatever game they had made up. Maura couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up as she watched Jane’s face shift from happiness at the sight of Maura to momentary indignation at being distracted long enough to lose to a five-year-old to the look of pure love she wore whenever she looked at their children.

Satisfied at having won their game, Emily turned her attention to Maura. “Mommy!!!” she squealed as she ran straight at Maura. Maura instinctively kneeled down, letting her bags fall gently to the floor as she gathered her daughter in her arms.

“Happy birthday, baby,” Maura said into Emily’s unruly curls.

Emily leaned back so that she was still in her Maura’s arms but could make eye contact. “I’m five,” she said excitedly, holding up her hand with five fingers to emphasize the point.

“Yes, you are such a big girl,” Maura replied, smiling at her daughter.

“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” James called from his place at the island, having decided Emily had taken up enough of his mother’s attention.

Maura gave Emily a quick kiss on the forehead before setting her back on her feet. She walked over to James and lifted him from his seat to give him a hug. “Hi, baby,” she said quietly to him as he left a slobbery kiss on her cheek.

Jane gave Maura a soft peck on her other cheek, offering her a quick, “hey, love,” before moving to pick up the bags Maura had left in the middle of the entryway.

“Cheeseburgers?” Emily asked excitedly when she spotted the bag in Jane’s hand.

“Yeah, it’s your birthday, so you got to choose lunch,” jane explained. “Remember, we asked you earlier this week what you wanted.”

“And Papa said he put something special in there for the birthday girl,” Maura said as she joined Jane and Emily at the table with James. Angela wasn’t far behind her with plates, knowing her daughter-in-law wouldn’t allow the family to eat out of the take-out containers.

“Ohhhh, what is it? What is it?” Emily asked, her excitement threatening to make her burst out of her seat.

Maura laughed. “I don’t know, sweetie,” she said calmly to the over-excited five-year-old. “He didn’t tell me.”

“Looks like a piece of your favorite sour cream cake,” Jane announced as she emptied the take-out bag. “Just what you needed today: more sugar.”

Emily squealed, waving her hands in front of her in a not-so-silent wordless request for the cake, but Jane held it out of reach. “Lunch first, cake later,” she said. Maura had to stifle her laughter behind her hand at her daughter’s overdramatic pout in response.

Lunch was enjoyable as Emily told the family about her morning at preschool and how everyone had sung happy birthday before sharing the cupcakes Angela had generously baked for Emily’s class.

Luckily, after lunch Jane was able to convince Emily to take a nap along with James. She generally didn’t take naps anymore, but both Jane and Maura knew that if she didn’t the excitement of the morning combined with her party this evening would cause the little girl to crash. When Emily crashed, everyone knew it, and everyone wanted to steer clear. She definitely took after Jane in her crankiness when she was overtired.

The three adults took advantage of nap time, quickly setting everything up for the party later that evening. At 4:15, Maura decided to wake Emily to get her ready for her party. Emily had already picked out her birthday party outfit. Maura had tried to convince her to choose a dress, but ultimately, she just wanted Emily to be happy and Emily was happiest when she was comfortable.

“Mommy, will you braid my hair?” Emily asked after she was dressed.

“Of course, sweetie,” Maura said, sitting down on Emily’s bed. “Sit in front of me.”

Emily did as instructed, and Maura began braiding her hair into a beautiful French braid. Moments like this were some of Maura’s favorite. It wasn’t often that her daughter sat still for anything let alone for Maura to do something “girly” as Emily and Jane called it. Maura thought her daughter looked adorable with her long hair pulled back in a French braid, even if Emily only liked it for the practicality – it kept her hair out of her face better than any other hair style.

By 5:30pm, friends and family were streaming into the house. Jane and Maura were in the kitchen when they heard the doorbell ring, barely audible above the cacophony of voices permeating the house and courtyard.

“Who would ring the doorbell?” Maura asked, giving Jane a scrunched look. Everyone invited to the party knew they could just walk in today.

“Let’s go see,” Jane said quickly, and Maura could tell by the smile Jane was unsuccessfully trying to hide that she knew who was at the door. Maura’s suspicion was confirmed when Jane opened the door without looking through the peep hole.

Maura’s jaw dropped in shock at the sight of the woman standing on the other side of the door. “Mother,” Maura said quietly.

“Hello, darling,” Constance greeted, a genuine smile gracing her face.

Maura returned the smile and stepped back to allow her mother to step inside. They exchanged a light embrace, leaving air kisses on each cheek in their typical greeting. Jane pushed aside the formality, though, and pulled her mother-in-law into a hug.

“I’m so glad you could make it, Constance,” Jane said as she released the other woman.

“Thank you, Jane,” Constance replied, offering her daughter-in-law a smile.

“Come in,” Jane said, gesturing Constance towards the main living area. “Emily!” Jane called out to her daughter, her deep voice able to cut through the chaotic noise filling the room. Emily’s head popped up in response and Jane waved her over to say hello to her grandmother.

“Grand-mère,” Emily said excitedly as she wrapped her arms around her grandmother’s legs in an echo of Jane’s earlier gesture. Just like Jane, Emily had always been able to push past the formality and discomfort Maura’s family often brought to social interactions, offering her grandmother a physical display of all the affection she felt for her.

“Happy birthday, darling,” Constance told her granddaughter warmly as she gently patted her head. Jane had to hide behind Maura as she tried not to laugh at Constance’s awkward gesture of affection. Emily didn’t care though. She offered her grandmother another smile before rejoining her cousins and brother in the other room.

The party passed in a hurricane of love, laughter, family, and friends in typical Rizzoli fashion. James has fought valiantly when Maura brought him up to bed a little after his usual bedtime while the party was still in full swing, but he had fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, nonetheless. Emily had fallen asleep in the middle of the floor during the extended goodbyes that always rounded out Rizzoli family events. Jane had roused her only long enough to use the bathroom and brush her teeth, but she had allowed her to sleep in her clothes much to Maura’s displeasure. In the end, Maura decided it wasn’t worth the battle and vowed to change her sheets tomorrow.

Now, Jane, Maura, Angela, and Constance were sitting at the dining room table each with a cup of tea, the photo and video montage of Emily’s first five years still playing on a loop in the background.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Constance said to the table at large.

“You’re always invited, mother,” Maura said gently.

“I know,” Constance assured her daughter. “And I plan to make sure I’m here for more family events.”

“We would love that,” Maura replied with a soft smile. She felt Jane’s hand rubbing reassuring circles on her lower back throughout the conversation.

“I quite enjoyed Emily’s party,” Constance continued, “but I have to say, it was a very different experience than any birthday parties I’ve ever been to.”

“That’s because it was a _Rizzoli_ birthday party,” Angela said with a laugh, which the whole table quickly joined in.

“I remember my first Rizzoli birthday party,” Maura said, reminiscing.

“Yeah, I’m lucky you still talked to me after that,” Jane said, flashing Maura a dimpled smile.

Maura bumped her shoulder against Jane’s. “It was one of my favorite birthdays,” Maura said, returning Jane’s smile.

“Why wouldn’t Maura want to talk to you?” Constance asked; she had the feeling she was missing out on a shared memory among the other three women.

Maura turned to her mother. “Jane wanted the party to be a surprise, so she pretended to forget my birthday,” Maura explained.

“And made the rest of us do the same,” Angela chimed in.

Jane rolled her eyes, but Constance laughed. “I remember you telling me about the surprise party,” Constance commented, “but I didn’t know there was some controversy associated with it.”

“I forgave her pretty quickly,” Maura said, turning to give Jane a kiss on the cheek.

“After I promised never to do it again,” Jane added.

“You wouldn’t have been able to pull it off again, anyway,” Angela said. “I think you get more excited for Maura’s birthday than she does.”

“It also gave us the push we needed to admit our feelings for each other,” Maura said; she was telling her mother, but she didn’t take her eyes off of Jane as she spoke. “So, I think it was worth it.”

“Me too,” Jane said, leaning forward to give Maura a kiss while Constance and Angela exchanged a knowing look.

A little over an hour later, Maura and Jane climbed into their bed. Angela had left not long after they finished their tea, and Constance had been settled in the guest room.

As usual, they met in the middle, lying down so that they were face-to-face, their hands clasped between them.

“Happy Emily’s birthday!” Jane teased.

“Happy Emily’s birthday, to you, too,” Maura replied with a smile. “I love you so much, Jane,” Maura added as she closed the space between them, capturing Jane’s lips in a loving kiss.

“I love you, too,” Jane mumbled into the kiss as she wrapped her arm around Maura, pulling her flush against her own body. “Thank you for bringing our baby girl into the world five years ago today,” she added. Maura smiled into the kiss, letting her actions say everything she couldn’t get out in words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this story is supposed to be finished, now…maybe…😆. I kinda feel like Jane and James need Rizzoli birthdays now…no promises, though. For now, I’m considering this complete.


End file.
